Reading, Sermon & Prayers
Gospel Reading: Matthew Chapter 21 v 23 -32
Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
“‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
“Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
SERMON: “It’s Never Too Late – Today”
In our Gospel reading we hear the story of two sons. One who said yes when his father asked him to go and work in his vineyard and then did not do it and one who said no to his father but later changed his mind and went and worked as requested.
Let me ask you those who are parents, is this a familiar story to you?
Did one of your children ever tell you that they would do something and then not do it?
How about the other way around? They would not do what you wanted but later changed their mind?
A common experience isn’t it!! And therefore a perfect experience for Jesus to use as an example of what obedience is and is not.
A man had two sons. He went to the older son and said,” Go work in the vineyard today!” And the boy answers and you can imagine some of the things he might have said and the tone in which he replied can’t you?
“No Dad! I won’t go. I’ve got other plans. I can’t make it. No way. It’s not my turn. Get my brother to do it. It’s not fair it’s always me.’’ Hence the boy shows no respect for his father.
For the father, he has a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He is left feeling that his son doesn’t care. A son who has been given everything. A fine home and blessings too numerous to count and now only thinks only of himself.”
Most of us have probably been there as parents. But I want you to imagine it from the point of view of God. The God who invites us to work with him in building a better world. The God who invites us to work in the vineyard that yields the best fruit in the world. A vineyard that produces the love, joy, peace, hope and strength that is so much needed in the world today.
So many of God’s children live in a fine land, have fine homes and blessings too numerous to mention. Yet they say to God the source of good things: “Who are you? I owe you nothing. I’ve got better things to do with my time than attend church. And show my thanks. Better things to do with my money than share it with others.
“There’s no way that I am going to sit still for more than an hour at a time and listen to a lot of talk about faith and sing a bunch of hymns I can’t stand when there is something else I would rather do. There is no way that I will actually work to make the experience of a Christian community any better for myself or my neighbours or be friendly and encouraging towards others as they enter and leave church. No, no way it’s not my thing.
“And as for actually going out and telling others about the wonderful things that God has done and actually working for justice or doing anything for anyone who is not either a friend or a family member, just forget it! I don’t even believe in that stuff. Evangelism is for mindless bible thumpers! And as for those people who are in trouble, if they stopped spending their money on booze and other things that they can’t afford they would have everything they need.
No, I will not help you. No, I will not work for you. No, I have better things to do with my time and my money. No, what you want isn’t important. No, I don’t care!
Just think of how our heavenly Father feels when he hears all of this!
So back to the father and his two sons: How wonderful then it must have been for the Father when he went to his other son, the youngest son, and told him to go out into the vineyard and do the work that needed to be done.
“Yes, Father, I will go.” Imagine it for a minute. Imagine how the heart break turned around. My youngest child cares for me and what I want! My youngest child has respect! My youngest child is willing!
But we know what happens don’t we?
We know from the story that Jesus told what happened and we know from our own experience with our children, our families and our friends just how the Father later felt, when the willing son did not do what he said he would do and then later the unwilling older son changed his mind and did what he was first asked to do.
Some say that Jesus told this parable to the chief priests and leaders of the people to shame them and to force them to recognize that they were like the younger son. Outwardly willing to worship and obey God yet inwardly rebellious, self-righteous, hypocritical and disobedient.
Suggesting to them that they were like the younger son – disobedient children of God and that the sinners who came to Jesus for mercy – those who changed their mind about how they were living and asked for healing – those whom the chief priests and scribes couldn’t abide because they were tax collectors and prostitutes – were in the end – just like the older son.
And this is how Jesus ends the story, when he says to the chief priests and leaders: “You can be sure that tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you ever will! When John the Baptist showed you how to do right, you would not believe him. But these evil people did believe. And even when you saw what they did, you still would not change your minds and believe.”
But to leave this story at this level of understanding is to miss its importance for us. We know that the Chief Priests and Leaders of the people blew it yet again. We know that their religion was a matter of outward appearance rather than inner passion.
But what is of great value for us today having heard the gospel reading is to ask ourselves: “which child are we?”
Are we the ones who can recite the creed, work in the church and do much that seems holy and yet not really see and believe that God is working in and around us? Much as the chief priests had refused to believe that God was working in John the Baptist or in Jesus the Son of Joseph and Mary.
Are we the ones who are familiar with religion yet unacquainted with faith and with what it requires of us in in our hearts, our heads, our attitudes and most importantly our actions? Asks what religion requires of us and what it does for us?
Or, are we the ones who said at first, no way God, forget it; you don’t even exist and if you do, you aren’t what I want in a God. I’ve better things to do than pray and read that silly old book with all its rules, its wars and woes, its contradictions and all its craziness.
Or are we the ones who led a life that was wrong and then changed our minds when listening to the pain that is within every human being and to the voice of Jesus that promises forgiveness and wholeness and then turned and received a new life?
Or are we somewhere in between? Children of God who try hard some days to be faithful and on other days let our hardness of heart, our selfishness, our unwillingness to see God and listen to God in our daily routine get the better of us?
That is the profit of the gospel passage for us today. To ask who we are and what the good news that Jesus proclaims both in this story and elsewhere: the good news that is possible to change one’s mind, that it is never too late to see and to enter the Kingdom of God.
It’s a matter of having faith, a matter of knowing God and of accepting his son Jesus Christ and then going forth and labouring at the work he has asked us to do for him.
It is a matter of seeing that God is forgiving and gracious, of seeing that God is more interested in saving his children than in letting them perish, of accepting that God will give to us a new life no matter how bad our old life is and that he is able to accomplish this in us, no matter how tainted we think we have become, when we turn to him and allow him to have his way with us.
It’s a matter of seeing for those of us whose lives are not so inwardly desperate a matter of seeing that God is present in the most unlikely persons that work around us each, seeing that God is present today in the most unlikely persons, in the least of our brothers and sisters and that while present there in them he wants us to minister to them, to minister a cup of cold water, to minister some clothing to cover their nakedness, to minister hope and encouragement when he is depressed and feeling down and to bring comfort when they are sick in bed.
The gospel I have preached upon today is not a gospel of what work we must do or not do for it is the gospel that is about faith. It is a gospel of believing and hoping and praying and opening oneself to the power of God and to the will of God.
It is to say to God ‘’Yes, I will go out in the vineyard after all. I will go with you as you go with me and work to bring the good news of your love to my family and my friends and to the whole world in all that I say and do.
Just think then of how God our father will feel? That his children are willing to do the work that the world needs to have done and that the fine fruit of his vineyard is going to grace the world as he wants it to; and that his healing word is to be spoken, and his healing touch to be experienced by those who need it. Amen
PRAYERS
As ever, this week we have been bombarded with news – home and overseas, political and personal, tragic and trivial. Our minds easily close down, resisting the assault of so much news. But some images, stories and issues get through our defences and linger in the mind. We can take this as God’s call to us to pray for these issues.
Let us think what news stories are on our minds this morning. Let us pray for them now in silence, asking God to be fully present there, in judgement, mercy or grace………. (take a moment of silence to pray for an issue you wish to pray for)
Lord in your mercy……… hear our prayer
Last week there was other news; some earlier chapters of long running stories, some one day wonders, some tragedies, easily forgotten by us, but just as sharp and painful for the sufferers now as then. Let us try to remember what stories were on our minds last week…… (take a moment of silence to pray for a story that comes to mind) The needs go on, and so should our prayers. Let us pray now that God’s grace may continue to be at work, healing and renewing.
Lord in your mercy……… hear our prayer
This time next week the papers and media will be full of new stories, the TV giving us new images. New faces will be looking out at us; there will be incidents for the pundits to debate. Let us pray now for one such area of concern or one section of society that is likely to crop up in next week’s news – the Government, our church leaders, countries in difficulties, people in trouble…….. (Please take a moment to pray for whatever God gives you to pray about as you look ahead to next week)
Lord in your mercy……… hear our prayer
O God, set your blessing on us all as we begin this week together – on our world, our church, our community, our family and friends. Heal your suffering ones, raise up your broken ones, inspire your joyful ones. And give yourself afresh to us, as with all our sisters and brothers, we stand before you in hope.
Lord in your mercy……… hear our prayer
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
And so we seal our prayers together in the words that Jesus taught his disciples… the Lord’s prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
For ever and ever. Amen
Revd Kevin. Priest at St.Wilfrid’s and St.Thomas
